Bobcats’ Special Teams Stumble, Fall to Wings
BISMARCK, ND – In a two-goal game, three power play goals surrendered by the Bismarck Bobcats proved critical as the Cats dropped a 4-2 decision to the Aberdeen Wings Saturday at the VFW Sports Center.
Aberdeen struck first—on the power play—to jump ahead 1-0 with 2:33 left in the first when Michael Soucier bombed an eight-foot one-timer over the blocker of Bobcat netminder Hunter Shepard.
Soucier followed with another power play strike 50 seconds into the middle frame when a Ryan Cook rebound bounced right to the Canadian winger for an easy put-back on a 5-on-3 advantage.
Victor Ostling put the Bobcats down 3-0 off a Soucier rebound with 17:37 remaining in the second, capping a three-goal blitz in less than five minutes of hockey.
A shorthanded goal from Jared Spooner gave the Bobcats some life with 4:32 to go when the Bismarck High product blocked a Zac Goodrich shot and converted a breakaway through the legs of Wings goalie Andrew Shortridge to cut the score to 3-1 after two.
Wings captain Kyle Haak, however, restored Aberdeen’s lead to three at 4-1 just 20 seconds into the third, again on the power play, redirecting a point shot from Cook inside the right post as Shepard ranged left to play the initial salvo.
With the net empty late, Cullen Willox jammed home a diving centering effort from Spooner to chop the Aberdeen advantage to 4-2 with 47 seconds left, but Shortridge held off multiple last-minute flurries to stall the home side and deliver the Wings a weekend split with a 4-2 result.
Shepard slipped to 10-11-0 despite 22 stops; Shortridge turned in 35 saves to pick up his 11th victory.
The Bobcats now get six days off before a rematch on Saturday, February 7, at Odde Ice Center in Aberdeen at 7:15pm.
Live coverage of Saturday’s installment of the Titan Machinery Dakota Cup will begin at 6:45pm locally on SuperTalk 1270, KLXX-AM, the radio home of Bobcat Hockey, and worldwide online at NAHL.FASTHockey.com, the official web television partner of the North American Hockey League.
Though the 2014-15 season has passed the half-way mark, there is still time to order season tickets for the year; fans who want to lock in their seats for the rest of the campaign should call the Bobcat office at 222-3300 today!
